33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Every Sunday when we pray the Creed, we profess that we believe that Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and His kingdom will  have no end. The readings for this Sunday’s Mass focus us on the Second Coming of Jesus and how the Son of Man will be coming in the clouds with great power and glory. We  are told that He will send out His angels to gather His elect.  The Gospel Antiphon reminds us to be vigilant at all times and pray that we have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.  As we near the end of our liturgical year, spend some time reflecting on these words from Sacred Scripture as we prepare for the day when each one of  us will stand before Christ in judgment.

As  Catholics, we are fortunate that we can look to the Saints as our older brothers and sisters in Christ and we can learn important lessons from them. This week we celebrate the Feast Day of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, a religious of the Society of the Sacred Heart, who came to the United States from France and established schools for young women throughout the former Louisiana Territory. St. Rose yearned to serve the American Indians and at the age of 70, through her considerable effort, a school for the Potawatomi was opened in Kansas.  While she lived amongst them, the Potawatomi witnessed her long hours of contemplative prayer and named her the “Woman-Who-Prays-Always”. She died on November 18, 1852, at the age of 83, in St. Charels, Missouri, and was canonized by St. Pope John Paul II in 1988. She is a patron saint of “perseverance amid adversity”.  

As we approach the end of this liturgical year, may we learn a lesson from St. Rose and spend more time each day in prayer. May we not only speak to the Lord in our prayers but may we also learn to listen to His voice when he speaks to us in those moments of contemplation. Daily prayer will help us all prepare for that day when we to shall stand before Christ. May we become “Men and Women-Who-Pray-Always”.  

Finally, I urge us all to continue to lift up Fr. Kennell in prayer and be assured that he is praying for each one of us. If anyone would like to send Fr. Kennell a card, please drop the card off at the Parish Office and it will be forwarded to him.

May you have a blessed week – filled with prayer.

- Dcn. Tim Warner